Review: Our Friend

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Dane (Jason Segel) doesn't really have a direction he wants to go in life. We meet him early on, a best friend to Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and eventual best friend to her husband, Matt. (Casey Affleck) Over a decade later, Nicole is diagnosed with cancer and Dane sees that Matt can't handle the house and their two young daughters all by himself, so he drops everything to go to live with them while Nicole's diagnosis turns terminal.

I recently lost a family member to cancer, and on my plane to their funeral, I decided I wanted to mope and only watch depressing movies. So this is how I landed on Our Friend. Otherwise Affleck alone would've normally put me off it.

But the thing is, I liked this. Sure, it didn't have anything new to say in the terminal illness department and it uses the ever popular jumping around in the time line trope. (Thankfully in a more coherent way than My Sister's Keeper, for example)  But it's been so long since I've seen Jason Segel in anything new I was just happy to have him back. Dakota Johnson is an actress I never love. She's mediocre at best but I think this is easily her strongest role to date. I loved Nicole. I loved how sweet she was with her daughters and with Dane as her friend. Even when the movie attempts to paint her in a slightly bad light, she still comes out looking strong.

The ending packed an emotional punch even though you know where it's going. I was thankful for the mask mandate on the airplane so no one had to witness my ugly cry face. I hope to see more films by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite. I didn't see her last one, Megan Leavey, but I loved her documentary Blackfish. While this isn't the best script out there, I enjoyed what she did with it.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "It's not fair that I'm the only woman who knows how special you are." - Nicole (Dakota Johnson)

Comments

  1. Often Off TopicJune 26, 2021 at 1:58 PM

    I've never heard of this one but it definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. I'm so sorry to hear about your family member, as if life isn't tough enough already. Sending you love <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. thevoid99June 26, 2021 at 4:27 PM

    I might see this when it arrives on the TV or Netflix. I do like these actors though Dakota Johnson I will admit is hit/miss.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 28, 2021 at 11:08 AM

      I'm sure it will be somewhere soon. Hopefully you enjoy it!

      Delete
  3. KatyJune 28, 2021 at 10:40 AM

    Nice review! I have so many of Dakota's movies to catch up on. Glad you liked her in this!

    ReplyDelete
  4. m.brownJune 28, 2021 at 5:03 PM

    So sorry for your loss, Brittani, that's awful to hear. Can't believe you opted in for super depressing movies, as I can barely handle them on a good day.

    As for this, wowowowow....I'm with you on any time with Segel is a great time, but this is by the woman responsible for Blackfish???????!!! You had me at Tilikum! (seriously, I can't even wrap my head around that for a second)

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 30, 2021 at 7:07 AM

      I snort laughed at Tilikum (RIP)

      Thank you, I felt like getting all the crying out ahead of time.

      Delete
  5. keith71_98July 4, 2021 at 11:58 AM

    I was really surprised by this. I went it not really knowing what to expect but found it surprisingly moving. Glad you gave it a look.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 5, 2021 at 9:02 PM

      It was very moving. I'm glad I watched it too despite Creeper Affleck. lol

      Delete

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